We went first to Badaro, an up and coming neighbourhood in eastern Beirut, but south of where we are in Gemmayze. Most things, including galleries etc were closed but we had a tasty if overpriced breakfast and then strolled through Badaro towards the national museum. This latter was very impressive in its display, though less impressive in its interpretation. I was struck by how such a priority appears to have been the museum, the cityscapes etc – rebuilding a shared identity – after the civil war, instead of waste management or internet connectivity. One can see that it’s important to build up the signifiers of unity and shared heritage, but still, interesting.
One of the best displays was of tiny copper figurines, offerings, some with bits of gold or bronze flaking off, from near Byblos. They were arranged standing on big plain white surfaces, facing all ways, like little toy soldiers. Some were figure-shaped leaves, like shadows, like the Hiroshima shadows I thought.
In the basement I turned a dark corner to find an immense black room with a row of immense sarcophagi, each carved in the semblence of its occupant, with no interpretation that I could see, and otherwise only an angled mirror over the face.
It was striking and strange, and reminded me of the scene in
Then we walked through Achrafieh, a hilly neighbourhood with some surviving mansions with courtyards, art deco apartment blocks, and even trees festooned with jasmine.
After dinner we stopped at a small cafe on one of the staircases that cascade down the sides of hills and watched as a young Frenchwoman inexpertly read tarot cards for another. It made me think how lacking I am in interests and talents, like sport or games or tarot or music, that ease engagement in public arenas.